Portal:Disney

Introduction

The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16, 1923 as an animation studio, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Oliver Disney as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio; it later operated under the names Walt Disney Studio and Walt Disney Productions before adopting its current name in 1986. In 1928, Disney established itself as a leader in the animation industry with the short film Steamboat Willie. The film used synchronized sound to become the first post-produced sound cartoon, and popularized Mickey Mouse, who became Disney's mascot and corporate icon.

After becoming a success by the early 1940s, Disney diversified into live-action films, television, and theme parks in the 1950s. However, following Walt Disney's death in 1966, the company's profits, especially in the animation sector, began to decline. In 1984, Disney's shareholders voted Michael Eisner as CEO, who led a reversal of the company's decline through a combination of international theme park expansion and the highly successful Disney Renaissance period of animation from 1989 to 1999. In 2005, under the new CEO Bob Iger, the company continued to expand into a major entertainment conglomerate with the acquisitions of Pixar in 2006, Marvel Entertainment in 2009, Lucasfilm in 2012, and 21st Century Fox in 2019. In 2020, Bob Chapek became the head of Disney after Iger's retirement. However, Chapek was ousted in 2022 and Iger was reinstated as CEO.

The company’s namesake film studio division includes Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, 20th Century Animation, and Searchlight Pictures. Disney's other main business units include divisions operating the ABC television network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, Freeform, FX, and National Geographic; publishing, merchandising, music, and theater divisions; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, and Hotstar; and Disney Experiences, which includes several theme parks, resort hotels, and cruise lines around the world. (Full article...)

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Frozen 2, also written as Frozen II, is a 2019 American computer-animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios as their 58th film and the sequel to Frozen (2013). It was directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, and written by Lee, Buck, Marc Smith, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and Robert Lopez. Produced by Peter Del Vecho, the film stars the voices of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, and Jonathan Groff. Set three years after the first film, Frozen II follows sisters Anna and Elsa, Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and the snowman Olaf as they travel to an enchanted forest to unravel the origin of Elsa's magical power.

Frozen II premiered in Los Angeles on November 7, 2019, and was released in the United States on November 22. The film received generally positive reviews for its craftsmanship, delivery, and themes; its narrative and focus drew some criticism, and the music had a mixed reaction. Frozen II earned $1.450 billion worldwide, finishing its theatrical run as the third highest-grossing film of 2019, the tenth highest-grossing film of all time, and the highest-grossing animated film of all time. It had the highest-grossing worldwide opening of all time for an animated film. Frozen II was nominated for Best Original Song at the 92nd Academy Awards, and received numerous accolades.

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Credit: Coolcaesar

An entrance to Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California

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These are images of Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, The Walt Disney Company, and Walt Disney in their respective articles.

Image 1Adventureland entrance
(from Disneyland)
Image 2One of Disney's first animated characters Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, which Disney regained the rights to in 2006. The initial run of Oswald shorts by Disney have all entered the public domain as of January 1, 2024. (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 3The "Happiest Homecoming on Earth" celebrated the 50th anniversary of the theme park. Sleeping Beauty Castle was altered for the occasion. (from Disneyland)
Image 4Fantasyland
(Peter Pan's Flight in the foreground and the Matterhorn Bobsleds in the background) (from Disneyland)
Image 5Bayou Country
(Tiana's Bayou Adventure) (from Disneyland)
Image 6Main Street, USA
(2010) (from Disneyland)
Image 7Main Street at Disneyland, as seen from a horseless carriage (from Disneyland)
Image 8Disney security vehicle, picture taken July 2, 2009 in front of Epcot (from Walt Disney World)
Image 9Disney with film roll and Mickey Mouse on his right arm in 1935 (from Walt Disney)
Image 10Disney drawing Goofy for a group of girls in Argentina, 1941 (from Walt Disney)
Image 11Map of the resort as of May 2015 (from Walt Disney World)
Image 12Walt Disney (center) showing Orange County officials plans for Disneyland's layout, December 1954 (from Disneyland)
Image 13The original animation building at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, which they fully moved into in 1940 (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 14Characters from Alice in Wonderland host "Disneyland Musical Chairs" at Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner, accompanied by a ragtime pianist in 2005. (from Disneyland)
Image 15One of four arches welcoming guests to the resort (from Walt Disney World)
Image 16Team Disney – The Michael D. Eisner Building, the main building at the Walt Disney Studios, which houses the offices of Disney's CEO and several other senior corporate officials. (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 17Walt Disney introduces each of the seven dwarfs in a scene from the original 1937 Snow White theatrical trailer (from Walt Disney)
Image 18An aerial shot of Walt Disney World in 1982 (from Walt Disney World)
Image 19Mickey's Toontown
(Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway) (from Disneyland)
Image 20Disney next to a cat and a drawing of Mickey Mouse (by Harris & Ewing), 1931 (from Walt Disney)
Image 21Jeffrey Katzenberg was chairman of the Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1995. (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 22Disney shows the plans of Disneyland to officials from Orange County in December 1954 (from Walt Disney)
Image 23The Sherman Brothers in 2002. They composed many Disney songs in the 1960s. (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 24An aerial view of Disneyland in 2004 (from Disneyland)
Image 25The 1996 version of The Walt Disney World logo (from Walt Disney World)
Image 26View of Disney Springs (from Walt Disney World)
Image 27Disney family at Schiphol Airport (1951) (from Walt Disney)
Image 28Overlay of Walt Disney's original 1966 plans for Disney World and the proposed EPCOT city (orange) and contemporary situation (blue) (from Walt Disney World)
Image 29Fantasmic! finale on July 4, 2010 (from Disneyland)
Image 30Disney's childhood home (from Walt Disney)
Image 31Walt Disney's business envelope featured a self-portrait, c. 1921 (from Walt Disney)
Image 32Hollywood Studios' park icon, the Chinese Theatre (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 33The 2018 version of The Walt Disney World logo. (from Walt Disney World)
Image 34Disney's video streaming subscription service Disney+ was launched in 2019, which has a total of over 135 million subscriptions as of June 2022. (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 35Roy E. Disney, Roy O. Disney's son, was head of the animation department until 2003. (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 36Disney in 1954 (from Walt Disney)
Image 37Disney Magic at Port of Venice (from Disney Cruise Line)
Image 38Wedding Pavilion at the Seven Seas Lagoon (from Walt Disney World)
Image 39Disneyland fireworks from Sleeping Beauty Castle (from Disneyland)
Image 40Walt Disney (left) with his brother Roy O. Disney (right) and then Governor of Florida W. Haydon Burns (center) on November 15, 1965, publicly announcing the creation of Disney World (from Walt Disney World)
Image 41Frontierland
(Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in 2008) (from Disneyland)
Image 42Disney in 1954 with Wernher von Braun (from Walt Disney)
Image 43Monorail Red travels over the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage in Tomorrowland in 2008. (from Disneyland)
Image 44The original logo of Walt Disney World from 1971 to the mid-1990s. This logo is still used on retro merchandise. (from Walt Disney World)
Image 45Walt (center) showing the plans of Disneyland to officials from Orange County in December 1954 (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 46Disney receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 from President Lyndon B. Johnson. (from Walt Disney)
Image 47Disney (left) with his brother Roy O. Disney (right) and then Governor of Florida W. Haydon Burns (center) on November 15, 1965, publicly announcing the creation of Disney World (from Walt Disney)
Image 48Disneyland aerial view, 1963, which includes the new Melody Land Theater at the top of the photo (from Disneyland)
Image 49The Walt Disney World Monorail System provides free transport across the resort.
Image 50Walt, Florida Governor W. Haydon Burns, and Roy announcing the plans for Disney World in November 1965 (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 51Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
(Star Wars: Millennium Falcon – Smugglers Run) (from Disneyland)
Image 52New Orleans Square
(the Haunted Mansion) (from Disneyland)
Image 53Grave of Walt Disney at Forest Lawn, Glendale (from Walt Disney)
Image 54Tomorrowland
(Space Mountain in 2010) (from Disneyland)
Image 55Excerpt of Steamboat Willie (1928), the first Mickey Mouse sound cartoon. (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 56Walt (right) dressed as a gaucho next to Donald Duck in Argentina while on the company's South American goodwill trip in 1941. (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 57Disneyland Railroad Engine 2 at the New Orleans Square station. (from Disneyland)
Image 58Roy O. Disney inspecting design plans on-site in Florida (from Walt Disney World)
Image 59A portrait of Disney with cartoon representations of different nationalities on a 6-cent U.S. postage stamp, 1968 (from Walt Disney)
Image 60Michael Eisner replaced Ron Miller as CEO. (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 61A Disney Cruise Line bus which takes guests to and from Terminal 8 from Orlando International Airport; as well as around Walt Disney World. (from Disney Cruise Line)
Image 62Disney's promotional logo for its centennial. (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 63Bob Iger became CEO of Disney in 2005, expanding the company's properties (from The Walt Disney Company)
Image 64Disney bought The Muppets from the Jim Henson Company in 2004. (from The Walt Disney Company)

Selected biography

John Alan Lasseter (born January 12, 1957) is an American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering. Lasseter's first job was with The Walt Disney Company, where he became an animator. Next, he joined Lucasfilm, where he worked on the then-groundbreaking use of CGI animation. After the Graphics Group of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm was sold to Steve Jobs and became Pixar in 1986, Lasseter oversaw all of Pixar's films and associated projects as executive producer and he directed Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Cars, and Cars 2. He has won two Academy Awards, for Animated Short Film (Tin Toy), as well as a Special Achievement Award (Toy Story).

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Did you know (auto-generated)

... that Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company alleging that the release strategy for Black Widow breached her contract?
... that Disney+ released a promotional poster for the Doctor Who Christmas special "Joy to the World" with the title spelled incorrectly?
... that John Oliver dared Disney to sue him over his version of Mickey Mouse?
... that a revival of the comedy series Lizzie McGuire was ordered in 2019, but canceled mid-production after Disney deemed it not family-friendly enough?
... that the ferry General Joe Potter at Walt Disney World is named in honor of Major General William Everett Potter?
... that the horses pulling the Disneyland Main Street Vehicles' streetcars include Belgians, Brabants, Clydesdales, Percherons, and Shires?

Selected quote

Pretty, huh? I'll bet a lot of you folks don't believe that, about a wish comin' true, do ya? Well, I didn't, either. Of course, I'm just a cricket singing my way from hearth to hearth, but let me tell you what made me change my mind...

— Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio

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More Did you know...

...that Harriet Burns designed the original prototype models of Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle, Pirates of the Caribbean and New Orleans Square?

...that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects?

...that Mikey Blumberg's singing was voiced by Robert Goulet, who has starred in Rose-Marie and released more than 15 albums.
...that Donald và bạn hữu (Vietnamese for "Donald and friends") is a bilingual weekly Disney comics magazine in Vietnamese and English published by Tre Publishing House in co-operation with The Saigon Times under license from the Walt Disney Company.
... that Disney CEO Michael Eisner was struck with inspiration for the show, Adventures of the Gummi Bears when his son requested gummi bear candies one day.

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